South Africa’s long-delayed transition from analogue to digital television has suffered another setback as legal proceedings continue to prevent the full switch-off of analogue broadcasting, prompting Parliament to set a new three-month timeline for determining how the process should be completed.
The Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies said it would reconvene within three months to receive presentations on the scope and terms of reference for completing the Broadcasting Digital Migration (BDM) programme.
The committee raised concern that the prolonged delay is increasing the financial burden on the state because broadcasters must continue operating both analogue and digital transmission systems, a situation known as “dual illumination”.
Committee chairperson Khusela Sangoni-Diko said the latest dispute over the implementation of the programme should ideally have been resolved through consultation and negotiation rather than litigation.
“It is unfortunate that this matter is before the courts again when efforts should have been made to resolve the disagreements through engagement and negotiation,” Diko said.
She said the committee’s next meeting would focus on establishing a clear framework for bringing the migration programme to an end, including determining how the costs of continued dual illumination should be addressed.
“There needs to be a resolution on the cost of ongoing dual illumination. We also need a sustainable and agreed path towards completing the migration process, while ensuring that the legitimate concerns raised by stakeholders are properly addressed,” she said.
The committee received progress reports from several institutions involved in the migration process, including the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, signal distributor Sentech, the Media Development and Diversity Agency and other industry stakeholders.
The analogue switch-off remains subject to legal proceedings after the process was suspended. Free-to-air broadcasters have indicated their support for completing the migration but want affected stakeholders to be properly consulted before a final switch-off date is agreed.
They are also seeking clarity over how the costs associated with keeping analogue and digital networks running simultaneously should be shared.
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The latest development adds to a digital migration process that has been delayed for more than a decade.
South Africa launched its Broadcasting Digital Migration programme in 2008, initially targeting November 1, 2011, for the analogue switch-off. The country subsequently missed the International Telecommunication Union’s June 2015 deadline and has set and revised several domestic deadlines since then.
The government’s broader objective is not only to move television services to digital technology but also to free valuable radio-frequency spectrum currently used by analogue broadcasting. The released spectrum can then be used for mobile broadband and other telecommunications services.
South Africa has already switched off analogue services in parts of the country. The government previously adopted a two-step approach, with analogue services above the 694MHz band targeted for switch-off first, followed by remaining services below the band.
However, the remaining migration has continued to face regulatory, legal and stakeholder-consultation challenges.
The issue of access for poorer households has also complicated the process. Government has provided subsidised set-top boxes to qualifying households so that viewers who rely on analogue television sets can continue receiving free-to-air broadcasts after the analogue signal is switched off.
The legal disputes have previously centred on concerns about whether adequate consultation had taken place and whether households that depended on analogue television had been sufficiently provided for before a final switch-off.
A Constitutional Court judgment in the earlier litigation recorded that millions of television sets were still reliant on analogue transmission at the time, highlighting the scale of the transition and the potential impact of a premature switch-off.
The continued delays are also taking place against the backdrop of the government’s efforts to release spectrum for faster telecommunications services. South Africa’s communications authorities have repeatedly identified completion of digital migration as important to unlocking spectrum for broadband and supporting growth in the ICT sector.
With the latest three-month deadline, the parliamentary committee is now seeking a clearer roadmap for completing the programme, resolving the legal and stakeholder disputes and ending the costly period of dual analogue and digital broadcasting.
The committee’s next review will therefore be closely watched as South Africa attempts once again to bring a digital migration programme that began in 2008 to finality.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
